Cute picture from a Contemporary Acquisition Council dinner that included artists (like Maggie Michael pictured here) whose work has been acquired recently by the Hirshhorn. Really glad to be a part of this great organization.

The Currents: Recent Acquisitions show at the Hirshhorn is really good and I really recommend you go see it. And I am not just saying that because I have recently joined the Contemporary Acquisition Council. One thing that impressed me was how much the Hirshhorn has been paying attention to some really great DC-based artists like Linn Meyers and my formidable friend iona rozeal brown. The Washington Post’s tastemaker Lavanya Ramanathan recommended the show too!

Advocate and activist for neighborhoods Cary Silverman will run for Ward 2 Councilman. Please come to his campaign kick-off party next Tuesday to learn more about him and why he is running for local office. More here about his campaign.

Nest is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of women in developing countries. The mission of Nest is to support women artists and artisans in the developing world by helping them create sustainable entrepreneurial businesses. To do this, Nest provides micro-credit loans to be used for the purchase of the supplies and materials necessary to begin and/or maintain art or craft-based businesses.

The funds for these loans are generated by selling a unique line of clothing, accessories and merchandise for the home produced exclusively for Nest by a group of artists and designers. The Nest line also includes ceramic pottery, women’s clothing and other items with the Nest logo. In addition to these exclusive items created by well-known designers, the recipients of Nest loans in developing countries also make their crafts available to Nest as repayment for the micro-credit loans. These items, too, are incorporated into the Nest line of merchandise. In this way, Nest draws together artists from across the globe into a cooperative network with a shared vision of mutual support.

Millennium Arts Salon presents an exhibition of photographic artworks created by Washington-Baltimore Area artists in this season’s program: “It’s All About Art: Scholars Speak”. This multi-year series examines the joining lines of visual arts, performing arts, and arts and letters. For the 2007-2008 season, MAS explores photography as fine art as a part of their salon conversations.

This exhibition is jointly curated by Barbara Blanco and Henry Ferrand who will present the works of photographers and visual artists who demonstrate the range of photography as fine art through portraiture, places, and abstraction. Featured artists are Michael Platt, Henry Ferrand, Adrienne Mills, Jonathan French, Denee Barr, Michael Parker, and Barbara Blanco.

The girls at Project 4, Anne Surak and Becky Jones, and Jacqueline Ionita have curated a show in a new loft space that includes one of my favorite artists Laurel Lukasewski. If you’re interested in the way art interacts with space, check out this show Friday night.

ABODE is a collaborative art event showcasing contemporary art in modern design. The dialogue between art and design is fluid and encourages the advancement of expression. It is in the intersection and presentation of these disciplines that one can see for a moment the incredible inspiration that one holds for the other. Abode invites individuals involved in the businesses of design, fine art, development and real estate to experience the importance of an articulate interaction between art and space.The works placed throughout this loft space have been chosen based both on their significance in the discourse of contemporary art and on their aesthetic connection to the space. The artists being showcased demonstrate qualities of eloquence and purity that help define and compliment the modern, tranquil feel of this newly renovated apartment designed for the Jenco Group.